Supply roll spindle assembly for cinematographic projectors



Sept. 23, 1969 1.. J. BUNTING 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed Nov.24, 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet l Q 22 ms m, W M

LIHIIIHM FIG.I

LESLIE J. aumm's INVENTOR.

q 1969 L. J. BUNTING 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINBMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed Nov.24, 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet LESLIE J. HUNTING INYENTOR.

Sept. 23, 1969 L. J. BUNTING 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL sPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS 11Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 24, 1967 LESLIE J. BUNTING INVENTOR.

"BY Qma/Qm fi -y p 3, 1969 L. J. summc 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY, FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed O 21967 ll Sheets-Sheet 4' "2 use Fl O F|G 9 u-zsus .1. auu'rms INVENTOR.

(fMOM L. J. BUNTING Sept. 23, 1969 SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FORCINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed Nov. 24, 1967 l1 Sheets-Sheet LESLlE J.BUNTING INVENTOR.

Sept. 23, 1 969 1... J. BUNTING SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FORCINEMATOGRAPHIC PRQJECTORS Filed NOV. 24, 1967 ll Sheets-Sheet 6 LESLIEa. BUNTING INVENTOR.

I Sept. 23, 69 1.. J. BUNTING 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed Nov.24. 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet as i LESLIE J. HUNTING INVENTOR.

Sept. 23, 1969 L. J. BUNTING 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed Nov.24, 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet a LESLIE J. BUNTING INVENTOR.

gem/212 M Sept. 23, 1969 J. aum'ms SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FORCINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed NOV. 24, 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 Sept.23, 1969 Filed Nov. 24, 1967 L. J. aumms 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS llSheets-Sheet 10 I- l I83 FIG. 20

LESLIE J. BUNTING INVENTOR.

Sept. 23, 1969 L. J. BUNTING 3,468,498

SUPPLY ROLL SPINDLE ASSEMBLY FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTORS Filed Nov.24, 1967 11 Sheets-Sheet 11 ml I 3 h 582 382 358i 433 FIG. 23

. 427 g m LESLIE a. BUNTING 428 429 INVENTOR.

BY Q/Qli United States Patent U.S. Cl. 242-207 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A supply roll spindle assembly for use in a cinematographicprojector is selectively adjustable to allow free rotation of a filmsupply roll mounted thereon or to establish between said supply roll anda rotating power input member a selected one of three different modes oftorque transmitting cooperation.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Reference is made to commonlyassigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 685,616, entitledcinematographic Projectors or the Like and Cartridges for use Therewith,filed in the names of John J. Bundschuh and Robert J. Roman on Nov. 24,1967.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates principally toequipment such as cinematographic projectors or tape transducers adaptedto be loaded with supply rolls of elongate strip material, andparticularly to such equipment which is convertible to accommodate suchsupply IOlls either in the form of unenclosed reels or in the form ofcartridges.

To simplify the use of equipment of the type mentioned above,considerable attention has been directed toward providing means wherebysuch equipment can be threaded automatically upon being loaded with asupply roll housed within a cartridge; thereby facilitating the handlingand storage of the supply rolls and eliminating manual threadingoperations.

A cartridge-loaded self-threading cinematographic projector system whichis generally representative of the aforementioned type of equipment, andwhich includes a film stripping and threading mechanism and otherprojector and cartridge features related to those incorporated in theillustrative preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosedin commonly assigned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 643,502,entitled cinematographic Cartridge Projector Apparatus, filed in thenames of John J. Bundschuh, Robert J. Roman and Kenneth W. Thompson onJune 5, 1967. In this construction, a film supply roll wound onto a hubmember is housed within a cartridge provided with axial openings throughwhich the hub member can be rotatably supported and driven by a filmsupply spindle member when the cartridge is operatively positioned onthe projector. With the cartridge so positioned on the projector, thefilm roll is radially accessible to a stripping mechanism movable intotemporary engagement with the roll through another cartridge opening;such mechanism being adapted to separate the leading end of the stripfrom the roll and to feed it along a predetermined threading path.

Further details and features of this general type of film stripping andthreading mechanism and of film supply cartridges adapted for usetherewith are also disclosed in related U.S. Patent 3,429,518 whichissued from U.S. application Ser. No. 706,703 filed Feb. 19, 1968 whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 470,499, entitledAutomatic Film Stripper, filed in the name of Edward S. McKee on July 8,196-5 and now abandoned;

Patented Sept. 23, 1969 "ice and U.S. application Ser. No. 643,503,entitled Cartridge for Reel of Strip Material, filed in the names ofJohn J. Bundschuh and Kenneth W. Thompson on June 5, 1967.

By employing means of the type disclosed in the aboveidentifiedapplications, it is therefore possible to provide projectors or relateddevices capable of being loaded or unloaded almost instantaneously by anunskilled operator, and if desired, to provide additional means whichallow the device to function entirely automatically from the time thecartridge is loaded thereon and the projection cycle is initiated untilsuch time as the cartridge is again fully rewound following completionof the machine cycle. Furthermore, the adoption of such a system need inno way preclude the employment of other refinements, such as means in acinematographic projector for allowing the film to be projected eitherforwards or backwards at an adjustable rate of speed or for allowing itto be partially rewound to permit a desired film sequence to berepeated.

In spite of the foregoing advantages, however, presently known machinesof this type are not entirely suitable for applications in which bothcartridges and conventional supply reels may be appropriate fordifferent purposes. Although equipment has previously been developed forthe purpose of overcoming this disadvantage, the means employed thereinto allow a cartridge loaded machine to also accommodate conventionalreels have sacrificed operating convenience as well as desirablefeatures or functional characteristics which would be available by theuse of two separate machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The principal object of the present invention ito overcome those limitations previously associated with selfthreadingcartridge systems by allowing machines incorporating such systems to beloaded conveniently with supply cartridges of different sizes and alsowith supply reels, without sacrificing the convenience or performancecapabilities of such machines in either mode of operation thereof.Briefly, this objective is accomplished through the cooperation ofseveral novel innovations, including: the employment of means forsupporting cartridges of different sizes in predetermined relation tothe stripping mechanism and to the supply spindle drive member engagedwith the supply roll hub members within the cartridges; adapting thesupply spindle assembly to be movable to either a position at which thatassembly supports and drives the supply roll within a supply cartridgeloaded onto the machine, or to another position at which a supply reelcan be accommodated by the spindle assembly without interference withthe stripping mechanism; and providing means whereby the leading end ofthe strip material on a supply reel can be threaded manually into themachine in a convenient manner.

Due to the substantially greater amount of strip material that can beaccommodated by supply reel as compared to supply cartridges,considerations of maximum roll diameter and momentum require changes inthe mode of operation of the machine according to whether the materialis supplied from a reel or from a cartridge. In the case of acinematographic projector, for example, the use of a film supply reeldictates the employment of film tension control means which areincompatible with maintaining the film within corresponding tensionlimitations while a cartridge is being used. Similarly, the possibilityof rewinding the film into a supply cartridge through the film gatebecomes impractical in conjunction with the use of a film supply reel,which preferably should be rewound directly from the film take-up reel.In view of these and other related considerations, the subject inventiontherefore also includes means for automatically adjusting variousmechanisms of a projector or analogous machine to perform in accordancewith the requirements imposed by 3 the type of supply roll unit withwhich the machine is loaded.

In addition to the above-mentioned relatively basic features, theillustrated preferred embodiment of the invention also comprisesnumerous other refinements and improvements of previously knownprojector components or assemblies, many of such improvements andrefinements being equally applicable to other types of projectors oranalogous machines.

These and other important objects and features encompassed by theinvention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description of a cinematographic projector systemcomprising an illustrative preferred embodiment thereof, reference beingmade to the accompanying drawings in which like reference charactersdenote like elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the right side of the overallprojector, showing a film cartridge in loaded position and indicating inbroken lines the positions assumed by the film reels and the film supplyspindle arm when the projector is converted to accommodate such reels;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the projector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the projector illustrated in FIGS.1 and 2, showing a film supply reel supported by the raised film supplyspindle arm;

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of the film cartridge shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 and of the portion of the projector which cooperates withthe cartridge to locate and support the latter in loaded position;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the opposite side of the portion of theprojector shown in FIG. 4, depicting the mechanism by which thecartridge is releasably latched in loaded position;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken along the line66 of FIG. 5, illustrating the manner in which the cartridge isreleasably retained in loaded position by the latch members shown inFIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates the profile of an alternate film cartridge, viewedfrom the same direction as the cartridge shown in FIG. 1 but adapted toaccommodate a smaller roll of film;

FIG. 8 corresponds to an enlarged portion of FIG. 1, partially crosssectioned and broken away and supplemented with phantom views to depictthe positions of various elements of the film stripping and threadingmechanism of the subject projector;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional front view of the camshaft assembly employedto operate various elements of the projector;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the film guide andsnubber structure shown in FIG. 8, taken along the line 1010 of thatfigure;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the portion of the projector shown inFIG. 8, taken from inside the projector to show the arrangement ofinternally located components of the control assembly and the filmstripping and threading mechanism;

FIG. 12 is a partially cross sectioned rear elevational view of the filmstripping and threading mechanism and of the control assembly shown inFIGS. 8 and 11;

FIG. 13 is a view from the same viewpoint as FIG. 11, depicting therelative positions assumed by the various illustrated elements of thefilm stripping and threading mechanism and of the control assembly priorto or following completion of the film stripping and threading phase ofthe operating cycle of the projector;

FIG. 14 corresponds to FIG. 13 and shows the relative positions of theillustrated elements during the film stripping and threading phase ofthe operating cycle with the projector adapted to accommodate a filmcartridge;

FIG. 15 corresponds to FIGS. 13 and 14 and shows the 4 relativepositions of the illustrated elements during the film stripping andthreading phase of the operating cycle with the projector adapted toaccommodate a film supply reel;

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the principal components ofthe film gate and film pulldown mechanism and of the actuating deviceemployed to open and close the film gate and to adjust the film windingand rewinding mechanism at appropriate times during the operation of theprojector;

FIG. 17 is a somewhat schematic top plan view of a portion of thestructure shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a front elevational view of a portion of the structure shownin FIG. 16, showing the relative positions of the illustrated componentswhen the film gate is in a closed condition;

FIG. 19 corresponds to FIG. 18 and depicts the relative positions of theillustrated components when the film gate is in an open condition;

FIG. 20 is a somewhat schematic right side elevational view of theprojector, illustrating the driving and shifting means associated withthe film winding and rewinding mechanism;

FIG. 21 is a top plan view of a portion of the structure shown in FIG.20;

FIG. 22 is a partially cross sectioned rear elevational view of the filmtake-up spindle assembly and of the shifter bar connected thereto; and

FIG. 23 is a partially cross sectioned rear elevational view of the filmsupply spindle assembly and of portions of the adjusting membersassociated therewith.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION To summarize the illustrated preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, without regard to specific structural andoperational details hereinafter explained in detail, reference is firstmade only to FIGS. 1-3. From these three figures, it is apparent thatthe projector comprises a generally rectilinear casing member 11including a housing 12 which extends laterally toward the right side ofthe projector and supports a forwardly facing projection lens assembly13. To simplify subsequent explanations of the projector apparatus, theside of the projector shown in FIG. 1 will be referred to throughout thefollowing disclosure as the right side and references to right or leftmovement of laterally movable projector elements will be made in thesame sense unless otherwise specified. correspondingly, the terms frontand back and forward and rearwar will be used throughout the disclosurewith reference to the front of the projector as shown in FIG. 3.Similarly, references to clock-wise or counterclockwise rotation ofvarious elements of the projector mechanism will be made from theviewpoint of either FIG. 1 or FIG. 3.

Above housing 12, rotatable take-up reel drive member 14 extends beyondvertical wall member 15 in coaxial alignment with a corresponding pulleymember, which rotates constantly in a clockwise direction during operation of the projector. Drive member 14 is adapted to receive either arelatively small film take-up reel, as shown at 16 in FIGS. 1 and 2, ora larger take-up reel shown at 17 in FIG. 3 and in broken lines inFIG. 1. A similar rotatable drive member 18 likewise extends beyond wallmember 15 through mechanism plate 19 in coaxial align ment with anotherpulley member which is constantly rotated in a counterclockwisedirection. This drive member is carried by support arm 21, which ismovable about shaft 22 between the lower position shown in solid linesin FIGS. 1 and 2 and the raised position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1and in solid lines in FIG. 3.

With the arm in its lower position, reel drive member 18 is adapted toreceive a film reel, housed within a cartridge loaded onto the projectoras shown at 23. To accommodate the film 24 supplied by such a cartridge,the film take-up reel 16 can be of a size generally equivalent to thesize of the cartridge as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the arm is in itsraised position, however, substantially larger conventional uninclosedfilm supply and take-up reels can be installed on the respective drivemembers 18 and 14, thereby allowing greater lengths of film to beprojected without interruption. To distinguish between conventionaluninclosed film supply reels and film supply reels housed in filmcartridges, the latter reels will hereinafter be referred to as spools.Thus, the term reel mode of operation will be understood to refer to theoperation of the projector with a film supply reel mounted on the raisedsupport arm, as opposed to the term cartridge mode of operation, whichrelates to the use of the projector employing a film supply cartridgealigned with drive member 18 of the lowered support arm.

Cartridge mode of operation To operate the projector utilizing a filmsupply cartridge 23, support arm 21 is moved to its lower position andlatched in place by a latch member 25, shown in FIGS. and 21, which alsoserves to releasably retain the arm in its raised position. The filmcartridge is then moved laterally into its illustrated position adjacentthe cartridge plate, where it is releasably latched in place with thecartridge spool in coaxial driving engagement with drive member 18.During this phase of the projectors operating cycle, drive member 18 ispositively connected to the corresponding pulley member so that thecartridge spool is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, tending tomaintain the film in a tightly wound condition thereon.

To initiate the film stripping and threading operation, the operatormanually depresses ear 26 to a position in which it is releasablyretained by a latch mechanism. This causes stripper finger 27 to enterthe slotted base portion of the cartridge and thereafter moves stripperbelt member 28 in a counterclockwise direction about shaft 29 to bringstripper belt 30 into contact with the periphery of the roll of film onthe film supply spool. Concurrently, drive member 18 is released fromdriving connection with the rotating pulley member so that the cartridgefilm spool can rotate freely. correspondingly, drive member 14 iscoupled to its pulley member through a frictional clutch adapted to slipunder a torque load proportional to the weight of the take-up reel, asdetermined partially by the amount of film wound thereon.

As described in the above-identified US. patent application Ser. No.470,499, the stripper belt is constantly driven in a counterclockwisedirection. Therefore, its peripheral engagement with the film supplyroll rotates the film roll in a clockwise direction. Accordingly, theleading end of the film is separated from the roll by the stripperfinger and is delivered out of the cartridge through a narrow guide pathdefined between a portion of the stripper belt and an adjacent edge ofthe stripper finger.

As the leading end of the film emerges beyond the path defined betweenthe stripper belt and the stripper finger, it enters a curved guidechannel established between stationary film guide member 31 and movablesnubber member 32, which is pivotable downwardly about pin 33 but biasedtemporarily into firm resilient engagement with the guide member duringthe stripping and threading operation. This curved guide channel directsthe leading end of the film downwardly into engagement by the filmadvancing mechanism of the projector, whereby it is advancedintermittently past a projection position aligned with the projectorsoptical system. Beyond the film gate, the leading end of the filmproceeds into a pivotally supported channel member 34 which delivers itinto contact with the hub of take-up reel 16. As is well known in theprojector art, the hub of the take-up reel is provided with a pluralityof teeth adapted to engage the edge perforations in the film, wherebythe film is automatically attached to the hub upon being brought intocontact therewith.

When the film has been engaged by the film advancing mechanism, itspresence at a predetermined location is detected by an appropriatesensing device which then allows ear 26 to return to its initialposition, thereby initiating the projection phase of the operatingcycle. This causes the stripper finger and the stripper belt members toretract from the cartridge to their respective positions shown in FIG. 1and releases the snubber member for downward pivotable movement aboutpin 33 against the influence of leaf spring 35, so that the snubberthereafter serves to stabilize the film tension between the gate and thesupply reel in the manner well known in the prior art.

As the film is being projected, it can be stopped and displayed inreverse by manually moving control lever 36 from its illustrated raised(forward) position to an extreme downward (reverse) position.Additionally, the projector is provided with a review mechanism by meansof which the operator can rewind and then reproject any desired portionof the film by manually moving control lever 37 to a rearward positionto temporarily actuate the film rewinding mechanism.

The inner end of the roll of film 24 on the film supply spool within themagazine is attached to the core of the spool. Therefore, when all ofthe available film has been unwound from the cartridge, the resultingtightening of the film between the gate and the spool causes the snubbermember to pivot downwardly to a position in which trigger lever 38 isengaged and depressed by shoe member 39 on the snubber member. Suchdepression of the trigger member initiates the rewind phase of theprojectors operating cycle by opening the gate and withdrawing the filmpulldown claw therefrom, by reestablishing positive rewinding rotationof drive member 18, and by releasing drive member 14 from thecorresponding pulley member to allow the take-up reel to rotate freelyas film is unwound therefrom. Thus, the film is automatically rewoundentirely into the cartridge through the film gate whereupon the rewoundcartridge can be removed from the projector.

Reel mode of operation To convert the projector to accommodate aconventional film supply reel 40 on drive member 18, arm release ear 41is moved forwardly against the resistance of spring 42, therebywithdrawing latch tooth 43 from opening 44 in the curved front wallmember 45 of arm 21 (FIGS. 20 and 21). Due to the location of ear 41, itis inaccessible whenever a cartridge is loaded onto the projector,thereby preventing the arm from being released from its lowered positionuntil the cartridge has been removed. Upon releasing the latch, the armcan be moved to its previously described raised position where it isreleasably retained by the reception of the latch tooth within a secondopening 46 in wall member 45. Such movement of the arm automaticallyreadjusts the film supply spindle assembly to establish frictionalengagement between drive member 18 and the related pulley member througha drive unit corresponding to the one employed with the take-up reel,whereby the torque applied to the drive member is proportional to theweight of reel 40 supported thereon.

Since the internal structure of the film cartridge comprises essentialelements of the film stripping means described above, that mechanism isineffective when supply reel 40 is mounted on drive member 18.Therefore, when the operator now depresses ear 26, the stripper fingerand the stripper belt member remain in their respective inoperativepositions shown in FIG. 1. However, a guide roller 47, which remained inthe inoperative position shown in FIG. 1 during the above-described modeof operation, now moves automatically into contact with the constantlymoving stripper belt 30. Thus, when the operator manually removes theleading end of the reel loaded film 48 from the supply reel and insertsit in the nip between the drive belt and the roller, the stripper beltserves to drive the film through the guide channel between guide member31 and the temporarily immovable snubber member 32,

7 whereby the end of the film is threaded through the gate and attachedto the take-up reel as previously described. Upon the release of ear 26,guide roller 47 retracts to its inoperative position and the snubbermember is released so that the projection phase of the operation cyclecan proceed, as related above.

During the projection of film 48, the projector can be adjusted manuallyby means of lever 37 to display the film either forwards or backwards.However, since the projector is not adapted to rewind the film throughthe film gate except when loaded with a film cartridge, the film reviewmechanism is rendered inoperative when the film supply spindle arm is inits raised position.

In this mode of operation, the film is not attached to the supply reel.Upon completion of the projection phase, therefore, the trailing end ofthe filmstrip will have been separated from the film supply reel andwound onto the film take-up reel, and must be reattached manually to thesupply reel in order to be rewound thereon. When this has beenaccomplished, the film supply spindle assembly is manually adjusted toestablish positive driving connection between the film supply reel andthe corresponding pulley member, thus causing the supply reel to rewindthe film by overpowering the opposing torque frictionally applied to thetake-up reel. When the rewinding operation has been completed, thesupply spindle assembly is manually readjusted to reestablish the weightsensitive frictional engagement of the supply reel with the pulleymember, whereupon the supply reel can be removed from the projector andreplaced to prepare the projector for another operating cycle. If arm 21is moved to its lower position to convert the projector to its cartridgemode of operation before the film supply spindle assembly has been thusmanually readjusted, the lowering of the arm automatically accomplishesthis result to insure proper subsequent functioning of the apparatus.

Film cartridge and mounting means The illustrated film cartridge usedwith the subject projector is of the same general type disclosed in theaboveidentified pending U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 470,499,643,502, and 643,503, and is supported in its loaded position by meansdisclosed and claimed in commonly assigned copending US. applicationSer. No. 685,588, entitled Cartridge, filed in the name of John J.Bundschuh, on Nov. 24, 1967. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, such a cartridgecomprises a lower body member 49 which cooperates with a removable topcover member 50 to define an internal compartment adapted tosubstantially enclose a film spool 51. From the generally fiat base 52of the cartridge, side walls 53 and 54 extend upwardly and joinsemi-cylindrical side wall members 55 and 56, which cooperate with thesimilarly curved top wall member 57 of the cover member to laterallyenclose the film spool. As shown at 58, a vertical slot extends upwardlythrough the base portion of the cartridge and into the spool compartmentto allow access to the film roll by the stripper finger and the stripperbelt member. The trailing end of the strip of film wound onto the filmspool is attached to the hub 59 thereof by means of a pin adapted towedge the end of the film in a corresponding hole extending axially intothe hub. The head of the pin, shown at 61, projects beyond thecorresponding face of the film spool and into an enlarged opening 62 inthe face of the cartridge viewed in FIG. 4. This feature of theillustrated cartridge is disclosed and claimed in commonly assignedcopending US. application Ser. No. 685,597, entitled Cartridge and ReelAlignment Means, filed in the name of Arthur H. Crapsey on Nov. 24,1967. Thus, the pin serves not only to attach the film to the reel hub,but also serves to insure proper orientation of the spool in thecartridge by virtue of the fact that it can be accommodated freelywithin opening 62, but not within the smaller opening 63 (FIG. 7) in theopposite end wall of the cartridge.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 4, it will be seen that the face ofthe cartridge adapted to be positioned adjacent the mechanism plate whenthe cartridge is in its loaded position is provided with a rib structurecomprising a pair of parallel vertical ribs 65 and 66 extendingoutwardly from that face and joined by a similar transverse rib 67partially encircling opening 62. The corresponding portion of theprojector mechanism plate 19 is also illustrated in FIG. 4 and includesa recess 68 adapted to mate closely with the rib structure of thecartridge. Accordingly, when the cartridge is properly located in loadedposition adjacent the mechanism plate, the cartridge rib structure isreceived snuggly within the corresponding recess of the mechanism plate,thus laterally immobilizing the magazine and insuring that the filmspool is centered therein when the axial bore 69 of the film spool is inmating engagement with drive member 18. At the bottom of recess 68 inthe mechanism plate, a plurality of coplanar positioning pad members 71are adapted to engage corresponding face surfaces of the cartridge ribstructure to locate the loaded cartridge in parallel relation to themechanism plate with the film spool in alignment with the film take-upreel and with other film engaging elements of the projector.

To releasably retain the cartridge in its loaded position, latch levers72 and 73 are pivotally attached to the interior face of the mechanismplate by studs 74 and 75, as shown in FIG. 5. At their diagonallyopposed ends, the latch levers define latch ears 76 and 77 extendingthrough corresponding openings 78 and 79 in the mechanism plate. Aspring 81 attached between the latch levers applies a resilientclockwise force to both levers (counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 5),thereby urging the latch cars into overlapping relation to the adjacentportions of recess 68. As the cartridge ribs 65 and 66 enter recess 68during the installation of the cartridge, the sloped end faces 82 and 83of ears 76 and 77 are engaged respectively by correspondingly slopedface surfaces 84 and 85 of ribs 65 and 66, thereby camming the earsoutwardly against the influence of spring 81. When the cartridge hasbeen moved sufiiciently to bring the rib structure into seatingengagement with positioning pads 71, however, ears 76 and 77 arereceived respectively in corresponding cartridge openings 86 and 87extending inwardly beyond ribs 65 and 66, thereby'allowing the ears tobe moved into latching engagement with the adjacent internal ribsurfaces by spring 81, as shown in FIG. 6. Hence, it will be apparentthat the cartridge is held in positive con tact with the positioningpads by the latch ears and is prevented from moving laterally by themating engagement of the cartridge rib structure with recess 68 in thecartridge plate.

FIG. 4 also depicts a rib member 88 extending forwardly from themechanism plate and corresponding to the profile of the base portion ofthe cartridge. This structure serves to facilitate the alignment of thecartridge ribs with recess 68 during the cartridge loading operation andalso provides a film guide channel 89. It should be noted, however, thatthe adjacent lateral surfaces of rib member 88 and the cartridge arespaced slightly apart when the cartridge is in loaded position toprevent interference with the accurate orientation of the cartridge bythe reception of the cartridge ribs in recess 68.

To remove the cartridge from the projector, latch release ear 90 ismanually depresed to rotate latch lever 72 in a counterclockwisedirection, against the influence of spring 81, whereby the opposite end91 of lever 72 displaces lever 73 in the same rotational direction byengagement with lip 92. Accordingly, both latch ears are withdrawn fromlatching engagement with the cartridge ribs, as shown in broken lines inFIG. 6.

Since the accurate location of the film cartridge relative to theprojector is determined entirely by the cartridge rib structure ratherthan by peripheral surfaces of the cartridge, different cartridges withdissimilar peripheral dimensions can be employed without sacrificingaccurate cartridge orientation. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates aprofile of an alternate cartridge 93 that might be subsituted for theone shown in FIG. 4, et al., such cartridge being adapted to accommodateonly a relatively small film spool. As represented in phantom lines, theface of cartridge 93 opposite the one illustrated is of course providedwith locating ribs substantially identical to those of the cartridgeshown in FIG. 4.

Since only two latch ears are provided by the latch mechanismillustrated in FIGS. 4, and 6, it will be seen that sloped surfaces 94and 95 and the corresponding cartridge openings 96 and 97 aresuperfluous to the particular arrangement depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5;these additional latching means being provided in the cartridge to allowits employment with projectors having additional or dilferently arrangedlatching ears.

Film stripping mechanism The film stripping mechanism employed in thesubject projector is of the same general type described in theabove-identified pending US. patent applications Ser. Nos. 470,499,643,502 and 643,503, and embodies many of the novel features covered bythese disclosures in combination with further improvements hereinafterdescribed.

Stripper finger As best illustrated by FIG. 12, et al., a sleeve member100 extends horizontally from stripper finger 27 through slot 101 in themechanism plate and is rotatably supported by elongate pin 102 onstripper arm 103, to allow pivotal movement of the finger about the axisof that pin. The stripper arm, in turn, is rotatably attached to themechanism plate by stud 104. At the end of pin 102 opposite the stripperfinger, a roller 105 (shown in FIGS. 11-13) straddles the arcuate loweredge 106 of cam plate 107 mounted on the mechanism plate by pedestals108. This roller assists in maintaining arm 103 in parallel relationwith the mechanism plate as the arm is rotated about stud 104 to movesleeve 100 along slot 101. By this arrangement, the stripper finger isalso maintained in parallel relation with the mechanism plate and inalignment with the film roll 109 on the film spool within the loadedcartridge 23, and is movable into contact with the roll throughcartridge slot 58.

Stripper belt member As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, the stripper beltmember 28 includes a drive pulley 111 attached to the external end ofshaft 29, which constantly rotates in a counterclockwise direction. Thedrive pulley is straddled by elongate side plates 112 and 113 verticallyaligned with the cartridge film roll and pivotally supported at one endby rotating shaft 29. Between the side plates, two idler pulleys, notshown, are rotatably supported by studs 114 and 115 (FIG. 1). Thestripper belt 30 comprises a resilient endless loop which is trainedaround the three pulleys and extends beyond the upper edges of the sideplate. This belt, therefore, is constantly driven by the drive pulleyand is movable into driving engagement with the film roll by angularmovement of the entire stripper belt member about shaft 29.

Stripping operation When stripper arm 103 has been moved to its operative position in response to depression of car 26, by the controlmechanism which will be separately described in detail, pin 102 islocated as shown at '102(a). Therefore, the engagement of tooth 117 ofthe stripper finger with the periphery of the film roll by means ofspring 118 causes the stripper finger 27 to assume an operative positiondetermined by the size of the film roll. Similarly, when the samecontrol mechanism pivots stripper belt member 28 upwardly into resilientcontact with the film roll, its operative position will also bedetermined by the size of the film roll. For example, in FIG. 8, arelatively small film roll is illustrated in solid lines at 109, withthe periphery of a larger roll being represented by broken line 109(a).In like manner, the respective operative positions of the stripperfinger and the stripper belt member in engagement with roll 109 areshown in broken lines at 27(a) and 28(a), with the correspondingpositions of the same members engaged with roll 109(a) being depicted at27(1)) and 28(b). From this illustration, it is apparent that the loweredge 119 of finger 27 is generally tangential to the film roll and inspaced substantially parallel relation to the adjacent portion of thestripper belt, regardless of the size of the film roll. Thus, as theroll is driven in a clockwise direction by the belt, the leading end ofthe film is separated from the roll by the tooth of the stripper fingerand is driven into guide channel 89 along a path established between thebelt and the adjacent lower edge of the stripper finger. Due to theclose adjacency of the edge of the stripper finger to the belt, thisfilm path is sufiiciently narrow to prevent buckling and possible damageto the film therealong in the event that the movement of such film isblocked at some point beyond that path.

Cam plate In moving from its inoperative position to an operativeposition as shown at 27 (a) or 27 (b), the stripper finger must berotated in counterclockwise relation to stripper arm 103 about the axisof pin 102 by spring 118. However, it should also be apparent that thetooth of the stripper finger must not initially engage the film roll atan angle that would block movement of the finger to its operativeposition. Also, the path of movement of the finger must be such as toavoid interfering engagement with adjacent members of the projector,e.g., with guide roller 47. To meet these requirements, a cam followerarm 121 is attached to sleeve in fixed angular relation to the stripperfinger and includes a cam follower lip 122 adapted to engage curved edgesurface 123 of cam plate 107 under the influence of spring 118. Thus,the cooperation of lip 122 with curved cam surface 123 determines thecounterclockwise rotation of the stripper finger relative to thestripper arm in accordance with the angular position of the stripper armduring its rotational movement about stud 104. Consequently, prior toengagement with the film roll, the tooth of the finger member followsthe path shown in broken lines at 124. Accordingly, regardless of thesize of the film roll, it is encountered by the tooth at an angle suchthat further movement of the stripper arm can move the finger into itsoperative position by sliding the tooth along the film roll at an acuteangle thereto.

During the sliding movement of the tooth along the roll, the tooth isrotated in clockwise relation to the stripper arm against the influenceof spring 118. As a result, the cam follower arm is also pivoted awayfrom cam surface 123 to a position as illustrated at 121(a) or 121(b),thereby allowing the tooth to be maintained in firm resilient contactWith the film roll wtihout interference from the cam arrangement.

Guide roller Guide roller 47 is rotatably supported in alignment withstriper belt member 28 by a shaft 131 extending through an arcuate slot132 in the mechanism plate as shown in FIG. 8. Shaft 131, in turn, isattached to a roller lever 133, shown in FIGS. 11-15, which is pivotallysupported by pivot stud 134. Accordingly, the roller is movable betweenan inoperative and an operative position, as shown respectively in solidand broken lines in FIG. 8, in response to corresponding movement oflever 133 by the hereinafter described control mechanism.

When the projector is loaded with a film cartridge, the correspondinglowered position of arm 21 automatically causes the roller to remain inits inoperative position, in which it is located out of the movementpath of the stripper finger. However, when arm 21 is raised to convertthe projector to its reel mode of operation, the stripper finger and thestripper belt member are disabled from moving from their respectiveinoperative positionsv and the roller is allowed to move to itsoperative position in response to depression of ear 26. In thisposition, the roller is resiliently engaged with moving stripper belt30, so that the manual insertion of the end of the film 48 on the supplyreel into the nip of roller 47 and belt 30 causes the film to be driveninto guide channel 89 by the belt, until the roller is subsequentlyreturned to its inoperative position by the control mechanism uponupward movement of ear 26.

Film guide and snubber Still referring principally to FIG. 8, it will beseen that film guide member 31 is rigidly attached to the exteriorsurface of the mechanism plate by rivets 142 and pivotally supportssnubber member 32, which is attached to the guide member by pivot pin33. As shown in FIG. 10, the respective lower and upper surfaces of theguide member and the snubber member cooperate to define a film guidepassageway 144 when the snubber is pivoted upwardly against the guidemember, as illustrated. At the end of these two members adjacent filmguide channel 89 on the mechanism plate, the surfaces defining the filmpassageway diverge to form a tapered throat 145, in alignment with thatchannel. Accordingly, as the leading end of the film emerges from theguide channel under the influence of the stripper belt, it is pushedthrough passageway 144, and thereby delivered downwardly into the filmgate.

Leaf spring 35 is attached to the mechanism plate by a rivet 146 andbears upwardly against lug 147 on the snubber member to resiliently urgethe snubber member into its depicted position adjacent guide member 31.Thus, during the projection of the film, the snubber member serves tostabilize the tension of the portion of film between the film gate andthe supply reel or spool by moving downwardly against the influence ofspring 35 in response to momentary increases in such tension; similardevices being well known in the projector art. To be effective for thispurpose, however, the snubber member must be capable of being pivotedaway from the guide member quite easily. For that reason, the upwardforce exerted on the snubber by spring 35 is insufficient to insure thatthe snubber will remain in contact with the guide member to preserve theclosed passageway as the film is being fed therethrough by the stripperbelt. Therefore, lug 147 is provided with a pin 148 extending througharcuate slot 149 in the mechanism plate so that a snubber blocking leverincorporated in the control mechanism can engage the inner end of thatpin to resiliently retain the snubber member temporarily in its raisedposition under the influence of a much stronger spring. Alternatively,the invention could of course be embodied in a projector of thewell-known type in which the film movement is controlled by one or moresprocket members in which case the snubber member would not be needed asa tension regulating device and could remain in its raised position.

FIG. 8 also illustrates the previously mentioned shoe member 39extending downwardly from the snubber member above trigger lever 38,which projects through slot 151 in the mechanism plate. The purpose ofthis shoe is to depress the trigger lever to initiate the film rewindingphase of operation when the snubber member is moved to its lowermostposition by the increase in film tension accompanying withdrawal of allof the available film from the film magazine loaded onto the projector.

CAM CONTROL MECHANISM Cam drive means The cam control mechanism of thesubject projector is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 9 and 12-15. Thecentral element of this mechanism is shaft 29, which extends freelythrough the bore of a multiple lobe cam member 156 located between themechanism plate and support plate 157. The support plate is mountedrigidly to the mechanism plate by pedestals as indicated at 158 in FIG.12 and rotatably supports sleeve portion 159 of the cam member, which iskeyed to disk member 161 beyond the support plate by a drive key shownat 162. At the opposite end of the cam member shaft 29 is rotatablysupported in the mechanism plate by bushing 163 attached to elongateside plate 112 of the stripper belt member 28. At the external end ofthe shaft, belt drive pulley 111 is attached thereto between the sideplates 112 and 113 of the stripper belt member, as shown in FIG. 12.

Throughout the operation of the projector, shaft 29 is rotatedconstantly in a counterclockwise direction by spur gear 164 attached tothe internal end of the shaft and meshed with a smaller spur gear 165rotatably supported on stub shaft 166 and driven by pulley 167 through adrive belt mechanism described below with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21.

To rotate the cam member intermittently with shaft 29, a dog member 168is pivotally mounted to disk member 161 by a pin 169 and is biased byspring 171 to urge dog ear 172 toward engagement with the multipletoothed peripheral surface of hub member 173 of gear 164, as bestillustrated by FIGS. 11 and 12. Thus, when the dog ear is receivedbetween two of the teeth of the constantly rotating hub member 173, thecam member is coupled positively to shaft 29 for rotation therewith.

In order to engage and disengage the cam member from shaft 29, a clutchoperating lever 174 is pivoted to support plate 157 by pin 175 and isurged upwardly by spring 176 to bias lower lever ear 177 into contactwith the periphery of disk member 161. In this position, lever ear 177is adapted to be engaged by lip 178, which extends beyond disk 161 fromdog member 168, thereby holding dog car 172 out of engagement with hubmember 173 and allowing the cam to remain at a stationary initialposition as shaft 29 rotates. When ear 26 is depressed manually to thebottom of mechanism plate opening 179, however, ear 177 is moveddownwardly beyond lip 178 as the upper lever ear 180 simultaneouslymoves downwardly into contact with disk 161 as shown in broken lines inFIG. 11. Accordingly, the dog member immediately pivots about pin 169under the influence of spring 171 to engage ear 172 with hub member 173,thereby coupling the cam member to shaft 29. As soon as the cam hasrotated through an angle of approximately 120 degrees, however, thecorresponding rotation of disk 161 brings lip 178 into contact withlever car 180, whereupon the cam member is again immobilized at itsintermediate position by the disengagement of the dog ear from the hubmember. As shown at 181, a spring loaded pivotal latch member is adaptedto retain lever 174 temporarily in its depressed position by engagingupper lever car 180, thus causing the cam member to remain at itsintermediate position until the latch member is released from ear 180 bysolenoid 182. The solenoid, in turn, is connected to an appropriatepower source, not shown, through a normally open switch device 183(FIGS. 16 and 17) provided with a sensing finger 184 extending into thefilm gate to close the switch in response to the presence of film withinthe gate. Therefore, lever 174 remains in its lower position until thefilm has been fed into engagement with the projectors film advancingmechanism, whereupon latch member 181 is released from car 180. Whenthis occurs, lever 174 is returned to its raised position by spring 176,whereby the disengagement of ear 180 from lip 178 again temporarilyengages the cam member to shaft 29 to restore the cam and clutch membersto the initial condition shown in FIG. 11.

Cam member Cam member 156 comprises a cylindrical hub 1S5 concentricwith the bore of the cam member at one end thereof, and four differentlyprofiled cam lobes; namely, stripper finger lobe 186, reset lobe 187,roller and snubber lobe 188, and stripper belt lobe 189. The respectiveprofiles of these lobes are shown in FIG. 13 with the cam memberillustrated in its initial position, and it will be understood that thelobes remain at all times in the same angular relation to one another.The reasons for the particularillustrated profiles of the differentlobes will be apparent from subsequent explanations of the functionsperformed by the cam member. "However, it should be noted that bychanging the lobe profiles, the cam member could be adapted to berotated through each complete revolution in two successive angularmovement of other than l'and 240 degrees, such angles having been chosensomewhat arbitrarily to reduce the maximum torque requiredlto rotate thecam member from that which would be needed if the cam were rotatedsuccessively through more nearly equal angles.

Film stripper The operation of stripper finger 27 is controlled by thecam control mechanism through slide bar 191, which is supported at oneend by legs 192 and 193 slidably stradding cam hub 185, and at itsopposite end by an L- shaped ear 194 extending beyond lip 195 andreceive through hole 196 in stripper arm 103. Cam follower ear 197,located between the legs of the slide bar is adapted to engage theperiphery of stripper finger lobe 186, and is urgedtoward the cam by aspring symbolically represented' at 198. (For purposes of clarity,spring symbols corresponding to the one shown at 198 are employed in theaccompanying drawings to represent springs acting in various directions,as indicated by the arrowhead of each such symbol, but such symbols donot necessarily indicate the positions or types of springs best adaptedto produce the forces thereby illustrated.)

A stripper belt control lever 199 is pivoted to the mechanism plate bypivot stud 201 and is provided with a cam follower ear 202 biased towardengagement with the stripper belt lobe 189 of the cam member by a spring203. At the end of lever 199 adjacent the cam member, the lever isprovided with a slot 204. This slot receives the end of astud 205, whichis rigidly attached to the side plate of the stripper-belt memberadjacent the mechanism plate and extends through the mechanism plate viaan arcuate slot shown in broken lines at 206 in FIG. 8.

When the cam member is in its initial position, slide bar 191 and lever199 are located as shown in FIG. 13 by the resilient engagement of theirrespective cam fol lower ears with the corresponding cam lobes, therebymaintaining the stripper finger and the stripper belt member in theirinoperative positions as represented in solid lines in FIG. 8.

Upon manual depression of ear 26, the cam member revolves to itsintermediate position. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 14, slide bar 191effects movement of the stripper finger to its operative position as camfollower ear 197 is maintained in contact with cam lobe 186 by spring198. During such movement of the cam member, cam lobe 189 also presentsa decreasingly smaller radius to cam follower ear 202 of lever 199. Atthe opposite end of that lever, an ear 207 thereon is in alignment withthe curved edge surface 208 of stripper arm 103. Therefore, as the cammember commences its rotational movement from its initial position,lever 199 is blocked by the engagement of ear 207 with surface 208,allowing cam lobe 189 to move out of engagement with cam follower ear202. By the time the cam member reaches its intermediate position,however, the movement of stripper arm 103 by slide bar 191 has broughtthe stripper finger to its operative position and has aligned notch 209in the stripper arm with ear 207. Thus, since ear 207 is no longerblocked, spring 203 can now pivot the slotted end of lever 199 upwardly,to thereby rotate the stripper belt member about shaft 29 and intoresilient driving engagement with the film roll on the cartridge spool.By incorporating this feature, the present invention therefore furtherassures proper functioning of the film stripping mechanism by avoidingfilm unwinding rotation of the film roll by the stripper belt until thestripper finger is operatively positioned in engagement with the roll.

Selector slide Selector slide 215 is supported for vertical slidingmovement by stationary pins 216 extending through slots 217 in the slideand is biased upwardly by a relatively strong spring 218. As long as arm21 is latched in its lower position to allow the projector toaccommodate film cartridges, the slide plate is also retained in. itslower position, as shown in FIGS. 11-14, against the influence of spring218, by the engagement of slide lip 219 by abutment finger 221 attachedto the movable arm 21. When arm 21 is raised, however, spring 218 movesthe selector slide upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 15, defined bythe engagement of pins 216 with the lower ends of slots 217.

As long as the selector slide is in its lower position, a notch 222 inthe slide is adapted to receive lip of slide bar 191 as that bar movesto the position shown in FIG. 14 to operate the film strippingmechanism. When the selector plate is raised as shown in FIG. 15,however, notch 222 is above the path of movement of lip 195. Therefore,as the cam member rotates from its initial position to its intermediateposition, lip 195 encounters edge surface 223 of the selector slide,which blocks further movement of the stripper finger from itsinoperative position by preventing cam follower ear 197 from beingretained in contact with cam lobe 186 by spring 198. Additionally, sincelever 199 cannot rotate about pivot stud 201 to move the stripper beltmember into operative position until arm 103 has pivoted sufficiently toalign notch 209 with ear 207, which cannot occur as long as slide barlip 195 is blocked by the selector slide, it is apparent that thestripper belt member also remains in its inoperative position.

The position of the selector slide also determines the operativeness ofguide roller 47 by allowing the roller to move from its inoperativeposition to its operative position only when the projector is in thereel mode of operation. This is accomplished by means analogous to thosejust described, as will be hereinafter explained in connection withdescribing the roller positioning elements of the control cam mechanism.

For reasons later explained, the projector is adapted to rewind filmthrough the film gate only when loaded with a film cartridge. Therefore,still another function of the selector slide is to prevent theinitiation of the cartridge rewinding phase of the projector cycleexcept when arm 21 is positioned to accommodate a film supply cartridge.This function is performed by providing the selector slide with alateral ear 224 extending beneath trigger lever 38. During the cartridgemode of operation, ear 224 is below the lowermost position of thetrigger lever defined by slot 151 in the mechanism plate, as shown inFIG. 13, and therefore has no effect on the operation of the trigger. Inthe reel mode of operation, however, the raised position of the selectorslide illustrated in FIG. 15 locates ear 224 in overlapping relation tothe lower portion of slot 151 immediately below the trigger lever sothat the trigger can be depressed only by a force sufficient to overcomethe heavy spring 218 urging the selector slide upwardly. Since the filmadvancing mechanism is incapable of applying sufiicient tension to thefilm to produce such a force on the snubber member, the trigger memberis thus rendered inoperable by the snubber member. Although the triggercould still be released manually, such an operation could not beperformed accidentally due to the substantial resistance of spring 218.

Guide roller Guide roller lever 133 is pivotally supported by stud 134attached to the mechanism plate and is provided with a cam follower ear227 extending upwardly from the base member 228 of the lever and urgedtoward engagement with cam lobe 188 by spring 229. When the cam memberis in its initial position, the engagement of ear 227 with lobe 188displaces lever 133 against the influence of spring 229, as shown inFIG. 13, whereby roller 47 at the top end of the lever is located at itsinoperative position depicted in solid lines in FIG. 8.

If selector slide 215 is in its lower position, i.e. during thecartridge mode of operation, a blocking ear 230 on the selector slide isdisposed immediately above base member 228 of the lever, as illustratedin FIG. 13. Consequently, during rotation of the cam member, the rolleris maintained in its inoperative position by the engagement of the leverbase member with blocking ear 230, as shown in FIG. 14, while thestripper finger and the stripper belt perform the film strippingoperation. Conversely, when the projector is adjusted to the reel modeof operation, the corresponding raised position of the selector slideremoves blocking ear 230 from the path of movement of base member 228,allowing cam follower ear 227 to follow cam lobe 188 under the influenceof spring 229. Accordingly, the roller moves into resilient contact withthe stripper belt as the stripper belt member and the stripper fingerare retained in their respective inoperative positions by the selectorslide.

During either type of threading operation, it is of course essentialthat the film advancing mechanism be adjusted to its forward projectioncondition so that the film will be engaged by that mechanism and therebymoved away from rather than toward the supply roll. Therefore, aninterlock device is employed to prevent car 26 from being depressedunless control lever 36 is in its raised (forward) position. Asillustrated in FIGS. 11, 16 and 20, this device comprises a cam slide231 slidably supported for vertical movement of studs 232. At its lowerend, the cam slide is bifurcated as shown at 233 to straddle theadjacent end of control lever 36 so that the vertical position of theslide plate corresponds to the position of the control lever. A blockingslide 234 is similarly supported for horizontal sliding movement bystuds 235 and is biased rearwardly by a light spring 236 to maintain therearward end by the blocking slide in contact with cam surface 237 alongthe adjacent edge of the cam slide. Accordingly, as long as controllever 36 is in its raised (forward) position, its blocking slide islocated as shown in solid lines in FIGS. 11 and 20, with its upwardlyextending leg 238 behind the path of movement of car 26. Upon movementof control lever 36 to its lower (reverse) position, however, thecorresponding movement of the cam slide brings the sloped upper portionof cam surface 237 into engagement with the blocking slide, therebycamming the latter slide forwardly to position leg 238 directly belowcar 26 as shown in broken lines in FIGS. 11 and 20. Consequently, itwill be apparent that leg 238 prevents downward movement of the ear solong as the projector is adjusted for reverse projection, thuspositively eliminating the employment of the threading mechanism untillever 36 is returned to its raised position.

Snubber As previously described, snubber member 32 is pivotabledownwardly from film guide member 31 about pivot pin 33 against theresistance of a relatively Weak leaf spring 35, but is held in contactwith the guide member under a substantially stronger resilient forceduring the film threading operation. This is accomplished by means ofsnubber blocking lever 239, which is pivotally mounted on stud 134 andprovided with cam follower car 240 aligned with cam lobe 188. Arelatively strong spring 241 biases the rearwardly projecting arm 242 oflever 239 in an upward direction, thereby maintaining cam follower ear240 in constant engagement with cam lobe 188.

When the cam member is in its initial position, arm 242 is depressedagainst the resistance of spring 241 to the location shown in FIG. 13.In this position, the arm is vertically aligned with pin 148 extendingfrom the snubber member through the mechanism plate, but is below thelowermost position of that pin as shown in broken lines in FIGS. 8 and13. Consequently, the snubber blocking lever in no way influences themovement of the snubber member produced by variationsin film tension.Whenever the cam member is rotated to its intermediate position,however, arm 242 is raised into engagement with pin 148 as shown inFIGS. 14 and 15, thereby resiliently biasing the snubber member againstfilm guide member 31 under the combined forces of the relatively weakleaf spring 35 and the substantially stronger spring 241.

Reset lever As will be described below in detail, the depression oftrigger lever 38 releases a latched spring loaded mechanism to initiatethe cartridge rewinding phase of the projectors operating cycle.Therefore, still another function performed by the cam member is toreset that mechanism during the subsequent film stripping operation inpreparation for another operating cycle.

To perform this resetting operation, reset lever 243 is centrallysupported for pivotal movement by the upper selector slide support pin216, with the forwardly extending leg 244 of the lever located directlyabove cam lobe 187. The rearwardly extending leg 245 of the same leverprojects above the adjacent end of the cocking arm 246 illustrated indetail in FIGS. 16-18 and shown in cross section in FIGS. 13-15.

For purposes of understanding the operation of the reset lever, it willbe understood that the end of the cocking arm below the reset lever isresiliently biased to the position shown in cross section in FIGS. 11and 13; and that the spring loaded mechanism is reset by depressing thelever to the position shown in cross section in FIGS. 14 and 15 and thenallowing it to return to its former raised position. Accordingly, as thecam member rotates from its initial position to its intermediateposition, the periphery of cam lobe 187 causes the rearwardly extendingleg 245 of the reset lever to move downwardly with sufficient force todepress the cocking arm. Thereupon, as the cam member continues torotate through the remainder of a single revolution, the radius of camlobe 187 engaged by leg 244 decreases, allowing the reset lever to berestored to position shown in FIG. 13.; During the projection of thefilm on a film supply reel, the spring loaded mechanism cannot bereleased due to the .fact that the trigger member is automaticallydisabled by the selector slide. Therefore, since the spring loadedmechanism remains cocked, the subsequent downward andupward movement ofthe reset lever serves no useful purpose, but need not be preventedinasmuch as it cannot interfere with the operation of the projector.

FILM GATE ASSEMBLY Gate and film advancing structure The film gateassembly of the subject projector is depicted by FIGS. 16-20, withvarious elements of the assembly having been omitted in differentfigures --for purposes of clarity. Viewed collectively, FIGS. 16, 17 and20 illustrate the overall construction of this assembly, including thefilm advancing mechanism and the structure employed to open the gateduring a cartridge rewinding operation.

From the three above-mentioned figures, it will be seen that the filmgate, as such, comprises a stationary gate member 251 rigidly supportedby vertical support plate 252 and defining a vertical channel structure253 extending downwardly from a rearwardly sloped film guide lip 254. Amovable gate member 255 includes a channel portion 256 extendingdownwardly from a forwardly sloped film guide lip 257 and adapted tomate loosely within channel structure 253 to define a vertical filmpassageway shown at 258 in FIG. 17. Except during the cartridgerewinding operation, the film within this passageway is resilientlysandwiched between the surfaces of the gate members adjacent theretounder the influence of springs 259, which bias the movable gate memberin a rearward direction. As illustrated in FIG. 20, the film gate ispositioned with diverging film guide lips 254 and 257 located directlybelow the lower end of the guide channel defined between filmguidemember 31 and snubber member 32, so that the leading end of the filmemerging from that channel during the film threading operation is guidedinto passageway 258 between the gate members. Similarly, the open throatportion 2-60 of lower film guide member 261 is located directly belowfilm passageway 258 to receive the end of the film as it emerges fromthe gate, thereby causing the film to be further guided into throat 262of channel member 34, through which it is delivered to the hub of thetake-up reel. As shown at 263, a snubber shoe is adapted to resilientlyengage the film along the adjacent curved portion of lower guide member261; the principal function of this shoe being to control the filmtension between the gate and the take-up reel during reverse projectionof the film.

In FIG. 16,- it can be seen that a projection aperture 265 is providedin the movable gate member along the film passageway and merges intovertical claw receiving slots 266, extending above and below theaperture. Corresponding aligned openings, not shown, are of course alsoprovided in the stationary gate member, thereby defining a filmprojection location along the axis of the projectors optical systemrepresented by projection lamp 267 and lens 268.

The film advancing mechanism of the projector is generally similar tothe one described in commonly assigned pending US. patent applicationSer. No. 648,282, entitled Film Pull Down and Control Mechanism For aMotion Picture Projector, filed in the name of Thomas G. Kirr on June23, 1967. In this mechanism, a claw plate 271 is mounted to supportplate 252 between ball bearings shown at 272, which provide forvertically oriented up and down movement of the claw plate while alsodefining a vertical pivot axis about which film claws 273 can move intoor out of the claw receiving slots in the gate members. Behind the clawplate, rotary shutter blade 274 and cam member 275 are attached to shaft276 of drive motor 277, which constantly rotates in a counterclockwisedirection. A cam follower roller 278 projects rearwardly from the clawplate and is urged downwardly into contact with the peripheral camsurface 279 of the cam member by a spring 281, whereby that cam surfaceimparts predetermined vertical movement to the claw plate. The face ofthe cam member is provided with two concentric cam surfaces 282 and 283,of different configurations. A cam follower pin 284, slidably supportedby bushing 285 in control lever 36 is adapted to be aligned selectivelywith either of the two cam surfaces by moving the externally accessibleend of the control lever shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to either its raised orits lower position, thereby pivoting the lever about stationary pivotstud 286. The fiat rearwardly facing surface of the claw plate adjacentthe front end of the cam follower pin is rocked rearwardly intoresilient contact with the pin by spring 287. Accordingly, the rotationof the cam member causes claws 273 to move both vertically and into andout of engagement with the perforations in the film within the gatepassageway. By virtue of the configurations and phase relationships ofcam surfaces 279, 282 and 283, movement of the control lever to itsraised position causes the film to be advanced downwardly through thegate for normal projection, whereas moving the lever to its lowerposition causes the film to be displayed in reverse as it is movedupwardly through the gate by the claws. The pending patent applicationjust referred to also discloses means for enabling this type of filmadvancing mechanism to be adjusted to a still projection condition inwhich a single film frame may be projected as long as desired; and itshould be apparent that such a feature could be incorporated readilyinto a projector embodying the present invention.

Gate opening mechanism During the cartridge rewind operation, the filmis rewound into the film cartridge through the film gate. Therefore, itis essential that the gate be open during this operation, i.e. that thefilm claws be retracted and that the movable gate member be moved out ofintimate resilient contact with the film. For this purpose, cam fingermember 291 is mounted to support plate 252 by studs 292 extendingthrough corresponding slots 293 in fingers 294 and 295, thereby allowinglateral movement of the cam finger member between its retracted positionshown in FIGS. 16- 18 and its operative position shown in FIG. 19. Thecam finger member is biased toward its operative position by a springwire 296 extending between finger ears 297 and bowed about stationarypin 298 attached to the vertical support plate.

Except during a cartridge rewinding operation, the cam finger member isretained in its retracted position by a latch member 299, pivotallymounted to latch support bar 301 by pin 302 and urged into latchingengagement with lip 303 of the cam finger member by spring 304. Thelatch support bar is pivotable about stationary stud 305 but is biasedinto contact with a fixed abutment member 306 by spring 307 withsufficient force to overcome the opposite influence of spring wire 296.

As long as the cam finger member remains in its retracted position, therearwardly slanted cam tongues 308 and 309 at the ends of fingers 294and 295 are in spaced parallel relation to corresponding forwardlyslanted tongues 311 and 312 of the movable gate member, but are not incontact with the latter tongues. Similarly, a rearwardly slanted tongue313 at the end of claw disabling finger 314 of the cam finger member ispositioned in adjacent parallel relation of the corresponding slopededge portion 315 of claw plate 271, beyond engagement therewith.

Trigger lever 38 is pivoted on stationary stud 316 with the end of thelever below snubber shoe member 39 biased upwardly by spring 317. Aconnecting link 318 is pivotally attached to the opposite end of lever38 by pivot stud 319, and extends downwardly therefrom behind dependingleg 321 of cocking arm 246. A light spring 322 biases the connectinglink toward ear 323 of the cocking arm, whereby that ear is receivedbetween link tongues 324 and 325, to limit vertical movement of thelink. As long as the trigger lever is raised and the cam finger memberis retracted, the lower tongue 325 of the connecting link is positionedbelow horizontal ear 326 of the latch member. When the trigger lever isdepressed, however, either manually or by the snubber :shoe member, theresulting upward movement of tongue 325 lifts latch car 326 to disengagelatch member 299 from lip 303 of the cam finger member, whereupon thatmember is moved immediately to its operative position by a spring wire296. Accordingly, the forward displacement of gate member tongues 311and 312 by finger tongues 308 and 309 pivots the movable gate memberforwardly about a vertical axis defined by the engagement of fulcrumedges 327 of movable gate ear 328 with the adjacent concave surface 329of the stationary gate member, thereby moving the channel portion of themovable gate member out of intimate contact with the film in the gate.Concurrently, tongue 313 at the end of claw disabling finger 314displaces the sloped edge portion 315 of the claw member forwardly

